10 Welcome aboard

"Ugh..." Lucas let out a groan as he slowly woke up. At first, he didn't think anything while embracing the relief he was feeling.

It had been a long time since he slept like a log.

RUSTLE

When he tried to get up, a rustling sound came from beneath, he looked to the side and found many leaves under him. Everything started coming into his mind again making his face pale.

'How the fuck did I get this hurt? The pain... it will scar me for life...' He thought but when he sat on his butt. Something was missing, he touched his back and felt that the pain had lessened.

"Wait... what?" he touched it hard and felt a little pain but no way in hell was it the same pain that he felt before.

"Really glad you are this lively." A voice came from the side, Lucas's eyes widened as it was not the voice he was looking forward to hearing. His gaze went to the right of the shelter and there he was, John... with his family, sitting inside the shelter.

His eyes darted toward the whole room but there was no sign of Sarah anywhere. Before he could say anything, John spoke again.

"Sarah is outside near that plant's corpse, she is doing something with it," he spoke with a mild smile, and continued with a sigh, "You passed out half an hour ago, which made us a bit worried." He said with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I was sure you were gonna become a zombie dude.." Sean from the side said with a grin and a wink making Lucas weirded out.

"Are your injuries okay now?" Ella asked from the side with a concerned gaze. She was sitting at the right of John.

Lucas felt nostalgia looking at that warm face. His mother made the same face whenever he came injured or too exhausted from his relentless training that she despised.

She always wanted her boy to become a big businessman but with how he trained his body, it seemed he was a lost cause.

Lucas smiled and nodded at her, showing that he was now alright, he tried to get up which was pretty easy as if his body was healed miraculously. He frowned and jumped to know the level of his recovery and by far, he didn't feel much pain.

"That girl first told her to check for some skills, we were very confused but everything has become clear now." John said and moved his fingers around, gusts of air started flowing inside the shelter which made it cleaner than before.

Lucas felt a dangerous chill looking at the man using his skill, if he were to get attacked with that gust of wind, it would be bad.

"Lucas!!" A voice came from the entrance, and before Lucas could even look behind, a silhouette pounced at him with full strength.

"Ugh..." He grunted and looked at the silhouette which was obviously Sarah, she was hugging him with her face on his shoulder from the side making it difficult to hug back.

'Such a strange thing, we met only a day ago yet the bond I have with her seems to be ages old.' Lucas gave a warm smile forgetting about John's skill use. He hugged her back showing that he was alright now.

"Lucky bastard..." Sean from the back muttered slowly which got him a nudge at the shoulder by her mother to behave.

"I feel strangely alright now, feels like the wound healed," Lucas said with a strange glint in his eyes as if getting to something. The recovery was just too strange.

"That's the effect of the skill she used on you. It's a healing skill that accelerates the recovery of injuries from what we have seen."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Skill? What do you mean?"

"Honey, show him.." John said while looking at Ella.

Ella just nodded and with a deep breath moved her hand up, in a second, a whitish glow coated her hand which made Lucas understand what John was talking about.

"Yeah, Lucas. Aunt Ella helped you at that time, they all got some peculiar skills." Sarah said with a giggle getting a nod from Lucas.

'I will go with my gut.... to trust them.'

"I am very thankful for your help, Aunt Ella. I am indebted to you." Lucas bowed a little to show his thankfulness.

"It was really nothing, you should thank Sarah not me, she was the one who told us about these skills that we have."

As Lucas gazed into Sarah's eyes, he felt a sense of gratitude and warmth wash over him. He didn't need to say anything, his expression conveyed everything. It was as if the formalities between them had dissolved, and they could just be themselves with each other.

The connection they shared was unspoken but powerful, and it seemed to deepen with every passing moment. Lucas felt a sense of comfort in Sarah's presence as if she understood him in a way that no one else ever had aside from his family.

It might have been because of the near-death fight they went through but whatever the case, he was feeling good.

He couldn't help but smile at her, a small but genuine gesture that spoke volumes. Sarah's eyes sparkled in response.

"Ahem" A throat-clearing voice came from the side making them come out of their small world. John and Ella had a smile while the two men had grumpy faces.

After seeing them, it was as clear as the sky that they won't be able to woe her at all.

"It seems I was a bit harsh when I spoke before, to be honest, I am a bit scared in this place, and taking such measures seemed to be necessary," Lucas said while looking at John.

"I understand, If I was in your situation, I would have done the same so no hard feelings," John said while shooking his hand.

Lucas spoke with a determined voice, "You're welcome to stay with us. It's been only a day, and now that I'm certain this isn't just a dream, we'll need all the help we can get to survive." The weight of the situation was reflected in the serious expressions of everyone around him.

Lucas knew that their survival depended on their ability to work together and support each other. With Sarah, John, and his family by his side, he felt that they had a chance at making it through this ordeal.

---

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE GOLDEN TICKETS AND GIFTS, IT MAKES ME MOTIVATED TO WRITE MORE!